


This is what I've spent my whole life trying to put in words

by MayBeBrilliant



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Spoilers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bus Kids - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Fluff & Feels, Fluff and Humor, Found Family, Gen, Like it's all the same except after s5 Coulson didn't die and he and May get married at Tahiti, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28217175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayBeBrilliant/pseuds/MayBeBrilliant
Summary: "Alright, as you all know, we're here today to celebrate the wedding of Phil Coulson and Melinda May, soon to be Mr and Mrs Coulson-May." Daisy announced to enthusiastic clappingOr, a Philinda wedding with lots of Bus Kids being adorable and found family.
Relationships: Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Melinda May & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38
Collections: Agents of SHIELD Secret Santa 2020





	This is what I've spent my whole life trying to put in words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SkiesAreBlue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkiesAreBlue/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Daiski!!
> 
> I I had so much fun writing these fantastic prompts you gave, the wedding especially <3

* * *

Daisy strode around on the beach, fussing about last-minute adjustments to the fairy lights hung up in the palm trees. Everything had to be perfect for Phil and Melinda's wedding, she couldn't allow anything to go wrong. Also, it was a Christmas wedding, so it looked pretty fantastic.

Fitz and Jemma insisted that she was being too much of a perfectionist. She ignored them. She'd waited far too long for Melinda and Phil to finally realise their feelings for each other for something to happen at their wedding. They were such saps, having their wedding oh both of them's favourite holiday.

Tugging a strand of the lights over to a different leaf on a tree, she spotted Jemma and Fitz coming towards her.

"Hey, I'm so glad to see you! You're early, you can help with the last minute shit that still needs to happen." she hugged both of them tightly, trying in vain to pat down Fitz's always messy curls.

"You look fantastic Daisy, I knew this dress was the one! Aren't you glad I forced you to buy it?" Jemma mock-glared at her friend, shaking sand out of her sandals.

"OK, fine, I admit it. It's pretty great." Daisy sighed dramatically, smoothing her hands over the skirt of the dark red, off-shoulder dress she was wearing.

Jemma's was the same shade of red, as the two of them were the bridesmaids. Melinda had told them to 'wear the same colour, but for god's sake not the exact same dress.' Melinda had always been known for her different way of looking at things. Anyway, Jemma's dress was much looser than Daisy's form-fitting number, with a halter neck and flaring, gauzy skirt.

Fitz's maroon bow tie that he'd finally conceded to wear after much grumbling matched as well. Him being, after some debate, the ring bearer.

The three of them continued putting up the lights, with a lot of affectionate bickering and teasing.

Just as they were finishing, the first guests started to arrive.

Bobbi and Hunter, Mack, Hope and Elena, Vic, Izzy, Piper, Davis. There were only so many people you could invite if you were part of S.H.I.E.L.D. And anyway, they hadn't wanted a big wedding, only inviting their closest friends and family to the secluded beach.

The trio greeted everyone warmly, showing them to the seats they'd set up on the sand, under a cluster of palm trees, facing away from the setting sun.

Everyone was soon seated, chatting to friends and catching up.

Daisy turned to the other two. "Alright, wish me luck, I have to go do the whole speech now." she whispered.

In perfect synchronisation, Fitz gave her a thumbs-up and Jemma smiled encouragingly, nodding her head.

\---

"Alright, as you all know, we're here today to celebrate the wedding of Phil Coulson and Melinda May, soon to be Mr and Mrs Coulson-May." Daisy announced to enthusiastic clapping.

"They've taken long enough already to realise their feelings, so let's not keep them too much longer!" she carried on, all the guests laughing. Turning to face the simple arch they'd erected, she gestured to Mack, the officiator, before taking her seat in the front row next to Jemma and Fitz.

He said his piece, his words perfect for the occasion. After everyone had finished laughing, wiping away their tears, he asked Phil to come up.

The soon-to-be-married man walked up, smiling nervously, and on the small wooden stage. Fidgeting with the deep red carnation in the front pocket of his suit, he waited along with everyone else for the arrival of the bride.

Then Melinda walked in.

All eyes turned to her as she strode proudly down the aisle. (She’d refused to let anyone walk her, not wanting a completely traditional wedding.) The dress she was wearing had a simple sweetheart neckline, accentuating her shoulders. A rich dark red at the bottom, it faded into a creamy white at the top. It was probably bulletproof or something as well, Daisy mused to herself, knowing Melinda. Her hair was done up in a simple curl, a few strands falling loose, with the sunset colouring it golden.

Phil gawked.

Grinning, Daisy watched him hurriedly shut his mouth as Melinda neared him. Even after all this time of knowing each other, she still took his breath away. They had the kind of love that nothing could break, constant and affectionate and surprising and always there.

Phil and Melinda faced each other under the arch, radiant smiles on both their faces. Phil’s nervousness had fallen away as soon as Melinda had taken his hand. Mack indicated that it was time to do their vows. Melinda went first, looking Phil straight in the eyes as she talked.

“Phil. When I first met you in S.H.I.E.l.D, you were a smart, bookish boy with no fighting skills and I was a hotheaded rebel. There was no reason for our paths to have crossed, except that they _did._ Even back then, I was drawn to you in some inexplicable way.” she smirked slightly, rolling her eyes. “You didn’t realise for a long while. Then we had an argument, probably about something stupid. I kissed you. I thought it would make you shut up.” her smirk turned into a soft smile, slightly teary if you looked closely. “And it did. But it also made me fall madly in love with you. I haven’t stopped loving you since that day, and I never plan to. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you. That’s why we’re here today. So I promise to stay with you forever, through better or through worse, and to never let you go.”

Daisy sniffed, discreetly wiping her eyes. Looking over at Jemma and Fitz, she saw that they were also slightly teary-eyed, though Fitz was trying not to show it as he needed to go hold the rings.

Then it was Phil’s turn for the vows. "Melinda. I met you so many years ago, so long that you've become a part of my life, of _me_. All this time, and at first I didn't realise a single, life-changing fact. This might sound like every romcom you've seen, but it's true." Melinda shook her head, blinking to clear her eyes and struggling to contain her smile. Phil carried on, beaming just as much, eyes also suspiciously wet. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you'd be the one. My best friend, my partner, my better half. My wife. And I knew I'd always love you, I still know that now. Through anything we've been through, aliens, Inhumans, other planets, almost dying, I have never stopped loving you, and I never will. I’ll be here, right next to you, for as long as I live. I promise to stay with you forever, through better or through worse, and to never let you go."

Offering the rings to Melinda and Phil, Fitz smiled at them both. Phil took the slender golden band, slipping it onto Melinda’s finger where it nestled, looking completely in place. She gently took the other ring, simple gold just like hers, and slid it onto Phil’s hand. They rested their foreheads together for a moment, both closing their eyes and smiling slightly tearfully. They straightened up after a moment, Melinda gesturing to Mack to continue.

"Do you, Philip Coulson, take Melinda May to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?" Mack asked Coulson.

"I do." he answered immediately, his eyes focused solely on Melinda, as if nothing else in the world mattered as much.

"And do you, Melinda May, take Philip Coulson to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

Without hesitating, she replied evenly, "I do."

"Well you're officially married now, and it's Christmas, so kiss!" Mack exclaimed, apparently done with his official speech.

The newly married couple kissed to clapping, cheering and wolf whistles, along with quite a few awww’s. Melinda’s arms around Phil’s neck, his resting gently on her waist, they stood, blissfully happy.

\---

After the ceremony was over, Daisy, Jemma and Fitz found themselves a table and some drinks. (Phil had thankfully talked Melinda out of having whiskey as the only option, saying that wouldn’t have ended well. There was now whiskey, gin, and punch. Which wasn’t much better, but when did Melinda not get her way?)

The sun had set during the dinner, the fairy lights that they’d set up earlier providing more than enough light along with the full moon. Daisy couldn’t help but be proud of her decorating skills, the whole place really looked perfect.

They’d only been sitting for a few moments, when, totally out of the blue, Fitz asked, “Do you two remember when we still lived on the Bus?” He had a nostalgic look in his eyes, almost as if he were staring into the past.

Jemma and Daisy looked at each other, by unspoken agreement promising to try and cheer him up. They knew he went through better and worse patches, they just wanted to get him back into a good one.

“Of course we do! Those were the good times.” Daisy answered, a mischievous smirk on her face to show him these memories could be fun. “Oh, Jems, when Fitz used to go on and on about monkeys?”

Fitz rolled his eyes at Jemma’s overdramatic ‘ugh, Fitz!’ of fond exasperation. “And you were still Skye, Daisy.” he said, already brightening.

“Yeah, and we used to have movie nights in your bunk, watching all the Disney classics, especially at Christmas!” Jemma chimed in. “Those were the best. And we always decorated the Bus with Christmas ornaments. Now that made Melinda mad!”

"And Melinda and Phil were so clueless! We were all terrified of Melinda though." Fitz shuddered dramatically as if he could still feel the older agent's glare on his back.

"They were seriously clueless. Oh, you guys, when you two were playing pranks on me that one time, and Fitz got scared of his own prank and screamed like a five-year-old?" Daisy had started laughing uncontrollably, but Jemma still understood her best friend.

"Ah yes, the famous Fitz scream." she nodded wisely, patting Fitz on the arm. He scowled, but he was having a hard time keeping the smile off his face. It might have had something to do with the gin he'd already downed, but who cared? At least he was happy again, that showed you what two amazing friends could do.

They continued reminiscing, Fitz getting funnier the more tipsy he became. "And Jemma, Jemsies, put a liver's cat next to my lunch!" he frowned, trying to figure out what was wrong with that sentence, while the girls dissolved into helpless giggles.

"S'not funny! What are the two of you laughing at?" he squinted as if to see them better, which only served to make Daisy and Jemma laugh all the more. Fitz was a hoot when he was tipsy, they knew that, but this was even funnier than last time for some reason. Probably because it was Christmas.

"Daiiiiisyyyyyy! I loooooove youuuuuuu!" he cried suddenly, trying to hug her but failing and ending up face-down in the sand. Jemma was doubled over with laughter at this point, and Daisy had tears in her eyes from it.

Fitz lay in the sand with a puzzled expression. "It doesn't taste very nice. Not enough pesto aioli." he spat out some grains.

This sent the other two into fresh rounds of uncontrollable laughter, starting again each time they looked at Fitz. The other guests were looking at them curiously, wondering what was going on. They weren’t surprised though, at this point anything those three did was basically normal for them.

When at last the girls had calmed down sufficiently to help him up, Jemma volunteered to go get Fitz some water. She put his arm over her shoulder, half dragging him to the water table. Snippets of conversation came floating back to Daisy as he complained to Jemma. _They didn’t make it properly,_ and _it was all sandy,_ and _why are there sandy sandwiches,_ and _they’re not supposed to be sandy._

They got to the water table, where Hunter intervened. “Hey mate, your hair looks fantastic!” he told Fitz, patting him on the head, clearly not on his first gin either.

The two men started talking, nobody else had any clue what they were saying. Jemma and Bobbi exchanged long-suffering looks, laughing as the two started arguing about who was less drunk.

Almost everyone was watching them now, grinning as the two started dancing. Both had quite terrible balance though, so they inevitably fell over again, almost in the surf. The guests helped them up, all still laughing. It had been inevitable that these two would do something stupid together, and everyone had secretly been looking forward to it.

Daisy watched them, her grin nearly splitting her face in two. She loved her friends so much. Bobbi was helping Fitz eat something, her hands gentle as they brushed over his arm. They balanced each other perfectly, Bobbi doing things and Fitz thinking. Daisy grinned evilly as a brilliant idea came into her mind. They really _were_ perfect for each other. But setting them up could happen later. Tonight was about two other extremely special people.

Speaking of, there was somebody she needed to congratulate.

Threading through the small crowd of people on the beach, Daisy made her way to where Melinda was sitting under one of the palm trees, a little way away from the main party. Phil was busy laughing along with Mack about Hunter and Fitz, she'd talk to him later.

She sat down next to the older agent, staring out over the calm, moonlit water. The wedding really had been at the perfect time, and thank god they hadn’t been interrupted. "Hey."

Melinda turned her head, a small smile on her face as she watched her husband laugh along with their best friends. "Hey."

"You're happy." It wasn't quite a question, more of a gentle statement. Daisy tilted her head to see Melinda's expression.

Her smile hadn't dropped. She nodded once, slowly, then again. "Yeah, I am. I didn't think…There was a stage where I thought Phil wouldn't make it. We all did." she said, turning to face Daisy fully. "But he did. Thanks to our team, thanks to you. You're the reason we're here today. We’ve been through so much crazy shit together, and we made it." She fingered her wedding band.

Daisy scoffed quietly. "Me? I really don't think-"

"Stop." Melinda interrupted, laying her hand on the younger agent's cheek. "You are the reason. You are the person who kept the team together, no matter what you think. You have so many amazing qualities, and one of them is your leadership." Here she swallowed, taking a quick breath before continuing. "I'm not good at emotions, I often don’t know how to express myself. I do know this though. I am so, so proud of you, Daisy. Never forget it."

Smiling, Daisy wiped her eyes and tried brushing it off. "I should be proud of you, not the other way around!"

Melinda just gave her a look, and her eyes were full of something Daisy almost recognised. It almost seemed...But no, that couldn’t be.

"I may not always show it, but…" Melinda’s eyes seemed suspiciously moist as she carried on. "I love you, Daisy. You’ve been in my heart since that first day you arrived, with your attitude and your hacking skills. And I know I could never be your mother, but you are my daughter. Some wounds take a long time to heal, and that's OK. But I will protect you. Not from the physical threats, you can handle that yourself, you have the powers and the training. But from everything else. I promise you that you never have to go through it alone again."

A single tear slipped down Daisy's cheek as she processed everything Melinda had just said. Then she all but launched herself into the woman's arms, clinging to her and sniffling into her shoulder. She said it so quietly that Melinda almost missed the whisper. But she heard it. "Mom." Daisy said, muffling the sound in Melinda’s shoulder. She said it softly, almost experimentally, like she was afraid if she said it louder its fragile sound would break. "I love you too."

Gently stroking Daisy's hair, Melinda let her cry, her own eyes tearing up. After a few minutes Daisy took a deep, shaky breath, pulling away and rubbing the heels of her hands over her eyes. "Sorry. I'm ruining your dress." she said with a wet laugh.

Melinda hugged her, warm and reassuring. “It’s OK, dresses were never really my thing. This is way more important anyway. My daughter is here with me, I just got married, I honestly couldn’t be happier.”

“I’ve never been happier either.” Smiling at this woman, her teacher, her SO, her mother in all but blood, Daisy added, “Mom.”

Melinda tilted her head, cheek resting on the top of Daisy’s head. “Yeah?”

“I just wanted to say it again.” Daisy admitted, a warm feeling flooding through her when Melinda responded to the term. “It feels so good to be able to.” She leaned into the hug, sighing in satisfaction. Now she knew what that look had been in Melinda’s eyes earlier. Pride. Fierce, _motherly_ pride. It had never been directed at her before, not with all her foster parents, not with Jiaying. She slipped her arms around her mother’s back, reveling in the feeling that pride and love like that were hers now.

Her hand came into contact with something hard at Melinda’s back. Daisy sat up, confused. “Mom. Do you seriously have a gun at your Christmas wedding?!” she asked incredulously.

“What? Anyone could find us here, it’s better to be prepared. Besides, it’s not like you don’t have one.” Melinda replied smugly.

“Well yes, but it’s not my wedding, is it?” Daisy defended herself, grinning again. She unconsciously touched the gun strapped to her leg under her dress, fingers brushing over it to check it was still there.

Melinda smiled, gently shoving her. “My daughter has quite the attitude I see. We taught you well.”

“Can’t imagine where I learned that from,” Daisy replied dryly, hiding her giddy smile at Melinda’s casual use of the word _daughter._

They carried on talking for a while, content just to be in each other’s company.

\---

When at last everyone had left and they’d cleaned up and gone home, Daisy lay in bed thinking. The day had been fantastic in so many ways, hilarious and amazing and so emotional.

Firstly, well, Melinda and Phill were _married_ now. Married! She couldn’t think of anyone that deserved happiness more than those two, with everything they’d gone through, both of them almost dying. (Well, in Phil’s case, he actually did.)

Then her amazing friends. She loved them all so much, they were just so incredible. That reminded her, she still needed to figure out a way to get Bobbi and Fitz together. But she could think about that in the morning, she was way too tired now.

And of course...She smiled just thinking about it. Melinda had been her mom since she’d met her, actually. She hadn’t admitted that to herself, but it was true, wasn’t it? She was her mom just as much as Phil was her dad. Just the fact that Melinda had told her that was the best Christmas present she could ask for.

Melinda had always taken care of her in her own rough, seemingly unaffectionate way. She’d caught her without fail every time she’d fallen, taught her to catch herself if she wasn’t there. And it was true what she’d said - her powers hadn’t made her an agent, her mom had.

And Phil...Well, he’d been the one to see her for who she was in the first place, to take her under his wing and teach her how to become a part of SHIELD. He’d helped her through getting her powers, through all the fights they’d been through together. He was her reason for staying with SHIELD, him and Melinda.

When she’d almost lost both of them, it had made her realise. They weren’t just her senior agents, her teachers, she knew that now without a doubt. She owed them too much, they’d made her all that she was today. They’d given her everything.

They were her parents.

And they were the best parents in the world.


End file.
